Bricked Cornish Hen with Garden Succotash

Since I have had a Cornish Hen staring at me from the freezer every time I open it, I decided tonight was perfect for a bricked Cornish Hen.

I started by cutting the backbone out of the hen and then cutting it in half through the breast bone. Each hen half was seasoned with salt and pepper and went in to an oiled saute pan, skin side up. They were topped with a smaller pan and finally a brick (aluminum foil wrapped) went in the smaller pan. After 9 minutes, the brick and smaller pan were removed. The hens were flipped and the brick (minus the pan) went once again over the hen halves and allowed to cook again for 9 more minutes. Cooking it this way made it taste like it's been slow roasted.

Our side dish was garden succotash which was garlic, yellow squash, zucchini, fresh green beans, and corn sauteed for a few minutes to soften. A little heavy cream was stirred in and allowed to cook down a little and finally off heat, red bell pepper, basil and thyme were stirred in.

A lovely Sunday night dinner!